All right, I'll admit it: I love romance novels.
I own a small bookstore, so you'd think I'd know better. But, after spending all day with the classics, I much prefer to spend my evenings with a hot cup of tea and a romance novel.
Recently, though, it seemed like my nights of star-crossed lovers might be coming to an end, as my eyes began to feel constantly tired and uncomfortable.
Working at my bookstore, I experience a fair amount of eye strain. If I'm not sorting through books, I'm staring at a computer screen, and after 8 hours of all that tiny print, my eyes begin to feel the burn. In the past, it was just a simple matter of giving my eyes a break from focusing, but lately, the tired, stinging sensation seemed to start earlier and last longer — no matter how many breaks I took.
Over time, my eyes even started to look worse — tired, puffy and red. I tried some of those eye drops that remove redness, but even though my eyes looked a little better, they certainly didn't feel it.
Eventually, it got to the point where, at the end of the work day, my eyes were so tired and irritated that I had no desire to read my romance novels anymore. And what's life without a little romance?
Seeking relief — or, at the very least, an explanation why my eyes were suddenly so tired and uncomfortable all the time — I went to see my eye doctor. She told me that, although the eye strain from work probably wasn't helping, the real problem was an eye disorder called Dry Eye Syndrome.
It turns out that, as we age, our bodies don't always produce tears as well as they should. Without the protection and moisture our tears provide, our eyes can develop dry patches that make them look and feel worse.
Fearing the worst, I asked if there was anything I could do to get back to my books. My doctor told me that, although Dry Eye Syndrome has no cure, there are several methods of dry eye treatment, the most common being artificial tear drops. She recommended I try SYSTANE® ULTRA Lubricant Eye Drops for extended moisture and protection from the symptoms of dry eye.
I gave SYSTANE® ULTRA a shot, and thanks to its long-lasting moisture and relief1, my eyes look and feel better than they have in ages. With dry eye treatment to get me through the day, it's much easier to focus at work. Best of all, I can finally get back to my books! Thanks, SYSTANE® ULTRA, for bringing the romance back to my life.
This is only my story. SYSTANE® may not work for everyone, but it helped me, and it may help you.
*Inspired by real-life experiences.
1. Lane S, et al. An evaluation of the in vivo retention time of a novel artificial tear as compared to a placebo control. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2009 50: E-Abstract 4679.
